Review: Kinderbach Online

This past month the kids and I have had the chance to explore Kinderbach.  I was very excited about the opportunity because I've had my eye on this particular program for a while!  Exposure to music, and the chance to learn an instrument at a young age, are considered by many to be beneficial to the young brain.  I, of course, want to nurture the young brains in my house!  However... actually enrolling them in music lessons?  Hasn't happened for many reasons.  Enter Kinderbach!

Kinderbach is an online, DVD/CD, and iPad/iPhone based curriculum designed to help teach young children the basics of music and piano.  It is targeted at the 3 to 7 age crowd, and based on our experience with the program that seems like an accurate range.  I don't believe  younger children would really grasp the material (although they could certainly enjoy watching it and get something out of it!), and older children may find it too "silly" for them.  My 5 year olds love it and my 6 1/2 year old wasn't so sure.  He's the serious type though - I think a lot of 6 1/2 year olds would really enjoy it!

Kinderbach's approach to teaching the piano is unique - each letter on the keyboard is assigned a different character, and you learn about the characters and the keyboard through stories and songs which are reinforced with games and activities.  You can "meet" the Piano Pals, who each have a web page of their own, here.

We were given access to Kinderbach's online subscription.  Access to their site is available for 1 year from $7.99/month (if you pay up front for 12 months), or $19.99/month (if you want to be billed every month).  You can try it out first, with a $5.95 day pass.  Purchase a subscription and figure out it's not for you?  You have 30 days to try it with their satisfaction guarantee!  Kinderbach has provided a discount code for us to offer, it is TOS_crew2012.  You can use this code to save 30% on their online or DVD packages through the end of 2012.

If you have multiple children it might be worth looking into their DVD packages - unlike the online subscription you will have "forever" access, so investing a bit more up front might make sense.  Even their most expensive packages (which you can find discount codes for on occasion, by linking up to Kinderbach on Facebook) would quickly pay themselves off, and then provide savings, when compared to traditional weekly lessons.

There are 6 levels to Kinderbach, and within each level there is content for 10 weeks.  The weekly content is broken out into 4 different video clips, which are all a very manageable length.  The videos are mostly animated:

In addition to the video content there is also downloadable material available to print that corresponds to each lesson.

What I loved:

• Miss Karri!  She's the instructor that you see on screen during lessons, and her upbeat personality and enthusiasm is contagious.  She does a great job of engaging the interest of her young target crowd.
• The well rounded curriculum.  There are games, there is music theory explained through fun characters, and there are hands on activities (coloring pages, for example) to help cement the knowledge for the kids.  
• The ease and convenience.  One of the reasons I haven't engaged in music lessons for the kids is because I don't want to deal with the hassle of weekly trips, or adding another weekly scheduled item to our to do list.  Kinderbach is a move at your own pace, and at your own convenience, program.
• Retention.  My 5 year old wanders around humming content from the videos, and she has been spouting some random music theory for me.  I'm impressed!
• The iPad app!  Other members of the TOS crew were specifically asked to review this product, so be sure to check out the review page if you want to see opinions.  Although we weren't reviewing it we do happen to have the iPad app too.  It is very nicely put together and easy for the kids to use.
• Easy site navigation.  Some sites are laid out well, and some are not.  Kinderbach is in the first category.  It's easy to find what you want, easy to print materials when they're called for, and the site is non cluttered and simple enough for my 5 year olds to navigate on their own.
• The ability for the kids to move at their own pace.  Do a few weeks of material all in a day or two.  Or just spend 10 minutes a day.  My kids did some of both, and it is very manageable with either approach.
• Online content is NOT flash based.  Kinderbach has made a point of formatting their content so it will stream from your iPad, for example.  I like this - it can be set up right next to the piano, so you can watch the video and then try it on the keyboard.

There is honestly nothing that I dislike about Kinderbach. I plan to continue using this program, and if you're looking for a fun music curriculum for your young crowd I would definitely recommend checking it out. It does take time to properly implement the program - but that isn't a negative. It's a sign that there is valuable content that's well thought out!  When I compare the cost of Kinderbach to the value and material it is providing it comes out a definite win.

See what the rest of the TOS Review Crew thought of Kinderbach!

I was provided with a Kinderbach online subscription to review the site free of charge.  That being said, all opinions expressed are 100% mine.